MLS Participation Crisis Threatens US Open Cup
AI-generated image · US National Wire
As Major League Soccer seeks to replicate World Cup excitement, its reluctance to fully commit to the nation's oldest knockout tournament creates a rift in American soccer.
Major League Soccer is struggling to reconcile its desire for high-stakes competition with its commitment to the US Open Cup, as first reported by The Guardian. According to the outlet, MLS Commissioner Larry Berg has expressed a fondness for "games of jeopardy" and "games of consequence," citing the knockout drama of the World Cup as a catalyst for fan passion.
However, this philosophy clashes with the league's recent treatment of the US Open Cup, a tournament established in 1913 that allows amateur and professional teams to compete. At the close of 2023, MLS announced it would cease entering its teams into the competition. While a compromise eventually allowed some teams to participate, the tournament's stability has wavered. For the 2025 edition, only 16 of the 27 US-based MLS teams entered.
This decline comes despite the tournament's capacity for underdog stories, such as Sacramento Republic reaching the 2022 final and amateur side El Farolito emerging as a top performer. The Guardian notes that the competition reached a peak in 2023 with a record 71 eligible professional teams entering, just as US Soccer took over marketing from Soccer United Marketing (SUM).
While MLS moves toward a fall-spring season, the USL is pursuing a different path. USL President and CEO Paul McDonough told The Guardian that the USL is evolving into a three-tier professional system, which includes the addition of a "Premier" league at the Division I level by 2028. McDonough emphasized the importance of merit-based qualification and meaningful competition, positioning the Open Cup as a unique venue for the two professional leagues to test themselves against one another.